The 15 Best Viral Videos of 2013

5. Charles Ramsey Finds Amanda Berry

“When a pretty little white girl runs into a black man’s arms, something is wrong here,” said Charles after Ariel Castro was discovered to have held three girls at his home in Cleveland, Ohio. This video went extremely viral, probably because Charles gave some humanity and levity to what was otherwise one of the darkest cases of the year.

4. Russell Brand Mocks the Media Deliciously

Russell calls out the inanity of the mainstream media, dropping a variety of aggressive quotes, mocking the pundits and basic, dunderheads of MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Not only is he extremely charming, he is highly poignant and well, fundamentally incendiary.

3. Worst Twerk Fail Ever

Jimmy Kimmel’s master work paved the way for a new kind of viral video, the video prank. While videos of people pranking others are widespread, this video may be the first time an entire nation was tricked into thinking something was real when it completely wasn’t. Absolutely brilliant and of course, hilarious.

This one needs no explanation. People are still quoting it obnoxiously, as we speak!

1. The Harlem Shake

While not strictly speaking one video, this phenomenon took over the world so quickly and hugely, it will be referenced for years to come. This is a compilation showing a variety of videos made on the song/meme.